At this point, the Cowboys' Thanksgiving halftime show is as much a hallowed American tradition as the all-you-can-eat holiday itself. For years now, musical artists at the height of their careers have taken the field at AT&T Stadium to entertain the millions of football fans watching at home, and the fun will continue this year when Post Malone grabs the mic for the event's 29th iteration.
So in honor of the big day and forthcoming performance during the Cowboys' showdown with the chiefs, we've taken a walk down memory lane to highlight and rank the ten most notable Cowboys halftime shows since the spectacle's first installment in 1997.
10. Enrique Iglesias + Pitbull (2011)
You might not have seen this one coming, but the energy both Enrique Iglesias and special guest Pitbull brought to the Thanksgiving stage was undeniable. The pair offered a fun, international twist on a uniquely American holiday, and during quite a hot time in Iglesias's stateside career, no less. You're guaranteed to get up and dance watching this back.
9. Keith Urban (2010)
Keith Urban is one of country music's most enduring and beloved acts, and he showcased exactly why in his 2010 halftime performance. He picked the right songs, kept the energy high, and showed off some strong vocals and staging, to boot. Turns out Australians know how to do Thanksgiving, too.
8. Destiny's Child (2004)
Destiny's Child headlined the Cowboys' Thanksgiving halftime show months after the Janet Jackson Super Bowl scandal, and the NFL was apparently extremely stingy about what kinds of lyrics and outfits could make it onto the broadcast. Safe to say Destiny's Child killed it nonetheless, bringing to the stage the unique harmonies, inimitable style and impressive dancing that make them one of the best (if not the best) girl groups of the generation.
7. LeAnn Rimes (2002)
LeAnn Rimes's Thanksgiving halftime had everything—aerial silk performers, pyrotechnics, people on stilts, a display in the stands ... What more could a fan want, honestly? If you weren't at least entertained, that's on you.
6. Carrie Underwood (2006)
Underwood was tapped for the Thanksgiving halftime show in 2006, roughly a year after her chart-topping debut album, Some Hearts, was released. This performance earns its spot in the Turkey Day pantheon not only because of Underwood's stellar vocals, but because the country star treated audiences to a live rendition of the famed Some Hearts track "Before He Cheats," now a cultural touchstone that had only just burst onto the scene. History in the making?
5. Luke Combs (2021)
No matter how you feel about country music, it's impossible not to like Luke Combs. You can't deny his talent, and his songs are as catchy as they are twangy. For 2021's Thanksgiving show, the Grammy Award nominee sang viewers through three of his very best—"When It Rains It Pours," "Beautiful Crazy" and "Beer Never Broke My Heart"—as lighting and stage accoutrements surrounding him dazzled.
4. Dolly Parton (2023)
Dolly Parton FULL Thanksgiving Halftime Show#NFL #AmericanFootball pic.twitter.com/hC6v38fa2v
— Crypto.Man (@hoangcrab_) November 24, 2023
If you, for whatever reason, doubted Dolly Parton's status as a national treasure, the response to her 2023 Thanksgiving halftime performance should lay those concerns to rest. Age 77 (at the time) and nonetheless rocking a Cowboys cheerleader costume, Parton won over the living rooms of America with her nostalgic medley of "Jolene," "9 to 5" and Queen's "We Are the Champions" and "We Will Rock You," all while proving yet again that age is just a number.
3. Kane Brown (2020)
Country artist Kane Brown was tasked with dazzling audiences in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic confined Americans to their homes. It was certainly no easy feat, given the precautions in place at the time, but Brown nonetheless pulled out all the stops for a true spectacle that didn't need a live audience to earn its spot in the Thanksgiving halftime hall of fame.
2. Creed (2001)
The ranking here is somewhat ironic ... but also somewhat fitting. For those who watched it live, you might remember Creed's Thanksgiving halftime performance as tonally ... interesting, particularly because it also doubled as a tribute to the 9/11 attacks that occurred roughly two months prior. Even so, it finds itself in the top 5 if only because it stands out so vividly in our memories.
1. Reba McEntire (1997)
And of course, you have to give credit to the woman who started it all. Reba McEntire's inaugural Cowboys halftime show is shorter and features fewer bells and whistles than many of the performances that followed, but McEntire wowed just the same. Accompanied by a gospel choir on the field, McEntire put on a performance of "What If" that not only electrifies hearing it now, but perfectly embodies the significance of the Thanksgiving holiday and the mission of continued halftime show sponsor/partner, the Salvation Army.
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